CRISPY SLOW COOKER CORNED BEEF

Crispy Slow Cooker Corned Beef has been a dish we make year round since we bought our deep freezer. Why you ask? Because since I had the ability to stock up during the “season” we now enjoy corned beef dinners and sandwiches all year long. You can serve this slow cooker version of this Irish-American classic with carrots, cabbage, or potatoes for St. Patrick’s Day.

The magic of the Crispy Slow Cooker Corned Beef is in the liquids. I normally say don’t add any liquid, but in this case the vinegar and the bay leaf need a helping hand. The little bit of water you’re using is a vehicle for your bay leaf and vinegar to help flavor the meat. This recipe needs a total time of 9-10 hours, so I recommend setting this up in the crock pot in the morning if you’re having it for dinner that night.

CAN YOU OVERCOOK CORNED BEEF IN A CROCK POT?

It is definitely possible to overcook any beef in the crock pot, resulting in a cut of beef that is bordering too soft. This recipe calls for cooking on low for 9-10 hours. I would try to stick with this cooking time. I also like to keep the slow cooker on low so the brisket has more time to cook, making it tender and juicy. You could try cooking this for a shorter time on high if you’re pressed for time.

DO YOU HAVE TO RINSE OFF CORNED BEEF BEFORE COOKING?

You can rinse corned beef, but it’s not a requirement. Rinsing the brisket removes any excess salt from the meat, resulting in a more mild flavor. Or you can put the beef in the crock pot without rinsing at all.

WHICH CUT OF CORNED BEEF IS MORE TENDER?

You can buy pre-brined corned beef, or get a brisket and add the seasoning to the corned beef yourself. I like to go with a round cut of brisket in the slow cooker, because it holds its shape better than a point cut and shrinks less in the pot, which is better if you have people over for St. Patricks day. But due to the point cut having more fat, it can turn out more tender than round cut. It’s a personal choice, because in the end both are used for this dish.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN CORNED BEEF IS DONE?

For food safety, you want to make sure your beef is cooked to at least 145 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. There shouldn’t be an issue if you cook the beef for the entire time.

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MORE ST. PATRICK’S DAY CABBAGE, CARROT, AND POTATO RECIPES

HOW DO YOU STORE CORNED BEEF?

You can store leftover crock pot corned beef in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Honestly, this usually doesn’t last past the second day at my house. You can also freeze your beef brisket with your favorite cabbage recipe for several months.

TIPS FOR MAKING CRISPY CORNED BEEF

You can fill the slow cooker up with water for a more traditional corned beef, but keep in mine that the texture of the dish will not get crispy if it’s completely covered in liquid.

You can add cabbage, sliced carrots, onions, and potatoes to the slow cooker when there’s about 2 hours left in the cooking time. The liquid from the corned beef will add a ton of flavor to the vegetables.

This may look like a lot of spices, but crock pot corned beef gets its signature flavor from this so don’t worry, go ahead and use the seasoning packet as direction on your beef brisket.

If your corned beef or beef brisket is too fatty, you can cut some of it off before placing in the crock pot. But leave a little bit, as this adds a lot of flavor to the dish.

In the morning shred leftover beef together with cabbage and potatoes to make Corned Beef Hash.

I don’t recommend using the leftover drippings from the beef brisket in the slow cooker for any kind of gravy, because it will be really salty. Cooking bland vegetables, like potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, work well with this water because it will season them. Add some more flavor with allspice or celery.

Serve your slow cooker corned beef recipe with horseradish or dijon mustard (you can also roast potatoes with dijon like these Dijon Roasted Potatoes) on St. Patrick’s Day!

Tools Used in making this Slow Cooker Corned Beef:Slow Cooker: Love this slow cooker and how programmable it is, it has been a workhorse for me… until…My New Slow Cooker: For larger roasts I also brown the meat in the insert and not lose a bunch of the flavor by transferring the meat and leaving the browned bits behind. If you’re thinking of a new slow cooker, consider it if your budget is more open.

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About the Author

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

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Hi! I’m Lauren. This recipe looks divine! I’m from the UK and really want to make it but I’m having issues understanding what a joint of corned beef is. I can buy brisket but it doesn’t come with seasoning but over here you can’t buy corned beef unless it’s in a can! Nor do I understand what it actually is, raw meat that’s brined or is it already cooked?

I’m so excited that you’re wanting to give this a try! Corned beef is a brisket that has been salt cured. If you aren’t able to get the seasoning packet, you can make your own using peppercorn, bay leaves, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, cloves, nutmeg and mustard seed. Hope this helps clear things up.

Awesome recipe! First time in a slow cooker. Normally I would just cook it in a pot on the stove. This was very easy and super delish! Five stars indeed. I added carrots potato’s and cabbage very tender and flavorful. To me its all about flavor and when people enjoy your cooking it’s the best! I had lot’s of compliments on this bravo! Thank you!

Hello! I just bought a corned beef brisket amd I’m planning on following your recipe. Would it be possible for you to tell me about how salty the corned beef you usually use is? The package on mine said it is 760mg for a 4 oz serving and I’d like to try to figure out if i should rinse beforehand. Thanks!